Today, as government borrowing costs remain punishingly high, panicked Chancellor Rachel Reeves will try to reassure the markets that the government is growing the economy and cutting the benefits bill.

We'll update this page with any information about benefits changes as soon as we get it.

Reeves is speaking now, she says:

"We will deliver fundamental reform of our welfare system.  That includes looking at areas that have been ducked for too long, like the rising cost of health and disability benefits. And the secretary of state for work and pensions will set out our plans to address this ahead of the Spring statement."

Will there be more?

No, it seems there won't. 

However, there are motions by both Rachel Reeves and Liz Kendall on the welfare cap this afternoon.  Reeves  told the Sun on Sunday that she will “expose how the Conservatives lost complete control of the benefits bill – with a project overspend of more than £8 billion”.

So, there may be more on benefits to come.  We'll keep this page open for the rest of the day, just in case.

Alison McGovern minister for unemployment is standing in for Rachel Reeves and Liz Kendall. 

She says she is never disappointed in her work coaches, the thing that lets them down is the system they work within.

It's on Parliament TV from 16.14 at this link:

https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/e4026aea-0691-4880-8957-3db8c8d0825f

 McGovern explains that the Conservatives have breached the welfare spending cap by £8 billion.

She appears to be claiming that the move from ESA to UC is the cause of much of the rise in benefits spending, because of the hard separation between the level of benefit for those capable of work and those with LCWRA.

She also says that you cannot have a functioning social security system if the health service is not functioning.  For example being told you can only see someone for 10 minutes, having to do numerous admin checks that could be done with modern technology.

We are hearing a great deal about getting people into work, but nothing about changes to the WCA and PIP. Instead, McGovern refers once again to the Green Paper to be published in the Spring, even though Rachel Reeves has said "we’re setting out our detailed plans before Easter".

She confirms that Labour will keep the welfare cap, which is intended to limit the amount that is spent overall on social security.

 It's notable that the house is almost empty.  Jeremy Corbyn has asked questions of the minister.

She moves onto fraud.

And that seems to be it.

There's a link to the written statements by Liz Kendall here

 

 

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  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    Apologies I think I have put little flags on comments as I was scrolling through reading them. So sorry 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @WorkshyLayabout Some of my comment did not make it. AGAIN! 

      If you click on the flag, there is a box to report the comment. The comment will only be reported if you type a comment and hit the report button. Just selecting flags does nothing. You can easily unselect them.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @RacheyRoo There is no harm done.  
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    And why do they bang on about people out of work? PIP is where the biggest spending is and that's nothing to do with in or out of work. It's for the extra costs of being disabled. More people have needed to claim it since the appalling decimation of the NHS and people waiting far too long for treatment, ops etc. It's all kowtowing to the baying RW press etc
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    Liz Kendall written statement is up on parliament site. I'm not sure if you can post links but I try to tag it on to the end of this post.  I don't think there anything triggering in it but it does show the duel narratives they're running. Good cop / bad cop. And it's unforgivable. Just remember the saying about the broader the smile the sharper the knife. For a party that spent most of the last parliament going on about how words matter they are showing themselves to be completely tone deaf and proving political hypocrisy  I always know how bad things are getting by the change in the type of questions my psychiatrist asks. It gives you a strong hint about the increase bin the number of beds are being taken up by people in crisis. Sometimes they make a point of telling you when all the beds are taken. And when there's a spike in suicides. Sure enough, a quick on line search and yep there's the figures / flags... 

  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    There's a new statement from Kendall on the Parliament website. Nothing really new announced, tone rather neutral.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    It's disgusting how they can treat the old and disabled it's them that over spent making people ill with worry not sleeping at night. But they go first class and choose who has heating and who don't my flat is not fit for me to live in IV bin on a band A for almost a year floods in my bathroom they don't care because they go home to beautiful houses and leave us to suffer. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @April pleasance I totally agree with you why don't all the MP  give up there heating money they get that Rachel Reeves get over £7.000 a year so the rest must money as well they need to stop all that and see how much they save then. All these MP are just in it for the money.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    As someone said the Tories and Labour both need a Work Capability Assessment as they're not fit to govern. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    Im hitting the depths of despair as are so many of us.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    The NHS have spent £1000’s keeping my wife (80% multiple myeloma cancer + 12 ongoing spinal fractures) and myself (brain stroke, brain surgery, and epilepsy) alive, yet this government seem intent on killing 1000’s of the sick and disabled population, by pushing them further into debt and deprivation and starvation 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    Including PIP in the benefit cap would be a massive hit for someone out of work in rented accommodation. While not impacting PIP claimants in work - rather ironic considering everyone wrongly calls PIP and out-of-work benefit.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Matt I know everyone's circumstances are different, but generally speaking, my understanding is you'd be under the benefit cap. But as means testing PIP would cause questions as towards the purpose of PIP, I personally think it far more likely that they replace PIP with something else. Of course we won't know until the March.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Rik I'm in work and get PIP. My pay is just above min wage. The benefit cap would be disastrous for me as effectively I would not get any PIP at all. The minimum wage has effectively become the maximum wage for many people, and the only jobs that most disabled people will get is minimal wage, even worse if it is part-time.  The whole benefits system does need an overhaul but the cost of making it, and work, pay is going to be too enormous for any government to contemplate, especially given the rapidly ageing population
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    I believe taxation from businesses should go towards investments and growth of industries and personal tax and National Insurance contributions should go towards taking care of people and the surplus from those funds should not go towards investments from which people don't get anything back. Yes it is fine to use the surplus to create jobs and opportunities, education and investment in training but no to use it to support big businesses get even bigger at the cost of the people. This is an area we need to wake up to as it does not equate that the total personal tax and the NI contributions are actually in a surplus and that money should be ring fenced in for people who have paid into that very fund!
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @James I would like to know where are all these jobs coming from for the sick and disabled being we have bad employment figures 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    They need to bring disability benefits more in line with standard Universal Credit
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Kevin. Exactly.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Bert Why should they.?   Disabled people need more money to help them with their disabilities.

      ie more monies for cost of extra heating, water, gas. elecy, and having carers come in to help, and also to pay towards taxis etc to get to and from GP's & Hospitals, specialists etc, The list is endless.

      Bert your in total denial.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Bert Why? People with disabilities can’t work and are unable to work, those on UC able to work should be processed differently as they are able to work and benefits for them are short term not long term. The same goes for the amount of money as disabled people have to survive longterm on the pittance they already receive. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    Now you see it now you don't......it's magic
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    If the government hadn't vastly underfunded the NHS, there wouldn't but so many ill people. Waiting years for surgery that would enable then to return to work and would have possibly halved the benefits bill.. It's not our fault we are not working.. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Julie All goverments have failed the British people miserably.  They have never put peoples well being & health first.

      Rather may I add that goverments have squandered hundreds of billions of pounds over the decades unnecessarily, and it's no wonder the NHS, and other essential services are in dire straits.


    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Julie not everything has a cure.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    High court victory over Tory DWP cuts will provide impetus to fight any Labour plans to cuts


    Mr Justice Calver ruled the last Conservative government had issued a “rushed”, “unfair” and “misleading” consultation on proposals to make “substantial” cuts to out-of-work disability benefits.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Jace We need more Mr Justice Calve onboard.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Jace The High Court ruling will effectively be ignored. And if there was another Judicial Review I am sure this time the Govt would appeal, probably all the way to the Supreme Court.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    Has she made a statement yet?  I don't want to look myself as I get easily triggered.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    I was under the impression that because we are ill and cant work. Its no fault of our own, and the money we receive is to make our life better. If i had been able to work i would be able to spend my money on what i wanted. And even if we dont always get the help we need. We are entitled to the money. I have had people who knew i was on pip charge me extortionate amounts for help making my bed and escorting me to appointments. I even had help that my social worker set up and had 3 hours twice a week, when they took me shopping they were very envious of what food i bought. I dont drink or smoke. Which a few of my support workers did. Complaining to me about their low wages and infact making me feel guilty. I felt so bad i was buying them presents and giving some of them money. They took complete advantage of me. I eventually was feeling so guilty because some of them were piling there problems into me i stopped getting them because i went into a deep depression. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 23 hours ago
      @Carol wilson Oh my goodness,  this is just awful. You poor thing. Paid carers are not always paid and trained well enough; hence the calibre of the staff can be quite low at times...I'm not dissing all paid carers though. It's awful thst you were taken advantage of, really shameful.  I hope you now have kind people around you to help x
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Faith Thank you Faith. I’m feeling much better now she has gone and have a really lovely carer who genuinely cares. The safeguarding team have made sure the cruel “carer” cannot look after vulnerable people again thankfully
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Jon Thank you Jon. I just didn’t want poor Carol to think she was the only one to have been taken advantage of. It sometimes helps helps to know you’re not alone.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Angie OMG I'm so so sorry to read your carer abused her position.
      I'm disgusted.
      You never have to excuse your disability.
      Please take care.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Angie Angie, that is dreadful!  I'm extremely sorry about your stroke, and the "carer" guilt-tripping you and taking advantage of you, when you were vulnerable.  That is appalling.  
      All best wishes
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    Luz Kendall coming up on bbc parliament live in 10 mins let’s all hope and prey it’s all in our interest this statement coming up 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Diceman24 Pfffft. We should be so lucky. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Diceman24 I don't think Reeves or Kendall will be making statements  on the Welfare Cap until later in the  afternoon. At the moment, just after 2.28 p.m. it's  the Arbitration Bill, then after that I  think there might be another Motion or two presented before they speak,  it could be  a long afternoon.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Diceman24
      Did she say anything as I can't see what she has said anywhere.

  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    How can you overspend the benefits bill by £8 billion when the law decides how much a claimant should receive?
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Rosemary £23bn of benefits (or £23 thousand million if you're doing it the English way) is unclaimed every year. That's the real travesty. Government complaining about the benefits bill being £8bn too high while almost 3x that amount is not getting to the people who need it. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Rosemary Exactly, it's labour contradiction at their finest.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Matt This how the post office scandal started, giving them too much power
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Rosemary Most of this is legal fees losing cases and paying private companies to come up with a solution to cut welfare bills.  But also in cutting benefits actually bit them back because people who weren't claiming certain things suddenly backlogged the system in applications. Now the cuts will fall on it's own employees.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @Rosemary Fraud and error?  I suspect this is one of the reasons why the DWP are going to get sweeping powers almost to the same level as the Police
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    We can't vote for Labour here. But there has always been a small group pushing for them to stand candidates. Ironically they tend to be Labour's "Hard Left". I've always supported them. I've voted for their "independent" candidates standing on a platform of getting them to stand candidates here. I even supported the court case that they won with a judgement telling them it was illegal for them not to stand candidates here (which they completely ignored). But no more. I've watched this unfold over the years and I'm sick of it (no pun intended). As far as I'm concerned if your part of Labour your part of the problem. End of story. At least Scotland have the ability and have used it to bring in their own PIP alternative and make other changes. Wales have it and very well might use it. Every party in our assembly / executive will come together to condemn it, they will write letters, they will give interviews and then go along with it in the interest of keeping  in line with the rest of UK. I hate it when everything is gets reduced to green and orange but I swear I have never felt so green in my life and not just because this whole thing is making me sick.  
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    The media, even the BBC, are utterly OBSESSED with cutting benefits. Whenever an MP tries to talk about positive measures to try and support some people back into work, they immediately bring it back round to how they are going to get "tougher" and make that the headline. I think it's best to try and filter out the media noise and wait for official announcements.

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